The present invention relates to an apparatus for preparing wire pieces from a wire for use in a stapling machine which staples together multipage printed products, such as newspapers, magazines and the like, and more particularly to a wire preparing apparatus which includes a wire feeding device and a wire cutting device.
An apparatus of this kind is known for example from U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,622. The apparatus disclosed in this reference includes a wire piece dispenser. The dispenser includes a feed device which feeds a wire to a cutting device in a stepwise manner. The cutting device includes a lever-like cutting tool which is driven to rotate about an axis which extends parallel to the wire feed direction. The radial end region of the cutting tool is provided with driver teeth which impinge on the forwardly fed starting region of the wire and, with the cooperation of a stationary cutter, cut or separate a piece of the wire. After the wire piece is cut, it is held between the cutting tool, the driver teeth, and a circular guide member and carried over an angle of about 90.degree. with the cutting tool and then fed to a receiver member. The receiver member includes a receiving gap which is bounded by a stationary block and a leaf spring. The receiving gap also tangentially adjoins the path of movement of the driver teeth, and extends at right angles to the wire piece in its longitudinal direction. The wire piece is held in the receiving gap by means of the leaf springs. The wire piece is inserted into the receiving gap as it slides off the driver teeth and held there by means of the leaf springs. A rotating stapling head includes a driver member which projects outward in the radial direction. The driver member has a driver flank which impinges on the wire piece as the stapling head moves past the receiving gap and which takes over the wire piece and carries it away. The wire piece held by the driver member is thereupon bent to form an open staple. Then, the stapling head pushes the open staple through a plurality of webs of paper lying one on the other. The staple is then bent closed.
This known apparatus has the disadvantage that heavy shocks occur whenever the cutting tool strikes against the wire. In addition shocks are caused because the wire piece must be cut through at the same time as it is accelerated, which may lead to unsteady operation of the apparatus. This known apparatus has other disadvantages. For example, it takes up a great deal of space and has severe limitations with respect to the handling of wires of different diameters.
Therefore, in view of these and other disadvantages of existing devices, it is an object of the present invention to provide a smooth-running, space-saving apparatus which permits problem-free handling of wires of different diameters.